Restoring Righteousness

Sad bunch, those People of God. Every time we turn around they are in trouble again. Here they go in Malachi, the last Minor Prophet in our Major Stuff blog and sermon series.

God laid out pretty clear rules for His people repeatedly over a thousand plus years: I’m your God; you are my people; you obey my rules; you don’t serve other gods; you stay holy; you worship me as I desire; I’ll bless you. Period.

Simple. Right?

The problem: Simple is not always easy.

The reality: Sin is tempting to humans.

Sin is when we act like God, when we do things our way, which is invariably contrary to God's way.

So, once again, in this concluding book of the Old Testament—not only the last in book order, but written last too (430 BC)—we have Judah, God’s Chosen People, falling back into sin over simple stuff.

God asked faithfulness. God asked worship. God even prescribed how to worship.

Yet Israel was cheating the prescription. They “placed defiled food” on God’s altar and then acted like they didn’t know (1:7). They brought blemished offerings they wouldn’t give a governor, but tried to pass off on God (1:8). They called God’s table a “burden” and would “sniff at it contemptuously” (1:13).

“You might as well turn out the lights and shut the doors of the Temple,” it’s as if God says in Malachi 1:10. Ouch. Problem. Big problem.

God requested worship via the Temple sacrifice system. They had taken it so much for granted that God basically says, “Shut it down. Your worship is an insult. And you are in trouble.”

If ever, did God’s people need righteousness restored? In Malachi’s day, once upon their roller coaster history again, they needed God's imputed righteousness. But how, as 3:4 asks, could their offerings become “acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years?”

The Holy Refinery. The Divine Laundry. God purified them (3:2-3). Only He could restore His people to righteousness. “Then,” and note well what Malachi 3:3b says here, “the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.”

Did you catch that? In chapter one God’s people were called out for impure offerings, but here in chapter three it is not the offering that it called righteous or unrighteous, but the person offering it. Righteous people offer righteous offerings. Righteous people do righteous things. 

Righteousness comes from from God within the heart of a person. Righteousness is a gift of God, manifest in right action, but rooted in a right heart.

The righteous heart gives birth to righteous actions.

Our righteous God makes us righteous.

Ask yourself today:

• How is my personal righteousness with God?
• What secret sins or unforgiveness am I harboring?
• What must I confess to God without delay?
• How should I express thanks to God for His forgiveness? 

Restoring Righteousness is the twelve and final entry in our Major Stuff from the Minor Prophets series of posts and sermons. You can read all those posts in the previous weeks herein. You can hear any of those sermons via iTunes or our church podcast page. Please share this post and leave comments as you wish.

Revealing Deliverance

“Number 8 is a stunning offering of surrealist influenced psychic automatism commenting on the malaise of Western modernity.”

Do you understand that sentence? I don’t. And I wrote it. I wrote it combining some internet gleaned tidbits and vocabulary of my own as a spoof to illustrate the point of this post. Now we can observe that Jackson Pollock’s Number 8 is more than “surrealist influenced,” it has become an equally impressive “blog illustrating.” 

Modern art can be, how to put it—intriguing—to most of us. We look at works like the one above and think, “What does it mean?” Artsy types tell us, “If we have to ask what it means, then you wouldn’t understand anyhow.” Translation: “I don’t know either; I just think it’s fun to pretend as if I posses greater acuity than you. Besides, the dude splattered paint around and got paid for it. Cool! ”

Reading through Zechariah you may feel like you are looking at modern art. An angel guiding the prophet through Oracles (visions). And these visions are at best odd and sometimes just pure confusing. But unlike modern art, the prophecies of Zechariah do have real, eternal value. God Himself spoke through Zechariah using symbolism and imagery with great depth of meaning. We can not unpack it all herein, but please do read Zechariah prayerfully and find out for yourself.

No other book of the Old Testament contains so much prophecy in such a short space. Zechariah prophesies of the reign, kingship, priesthood, humanity, deity, lowly origin, rejection for 30 pieces of silver, and piercing by a sword of Jesus. He make pronouncements of Israel and other nations as well. Zechariah, not unlike the painting above, is rich with layers and meaning. 

Zechariah 1:1 tells us he the first six verses are from October/November 520 BC just after work restarted on the Temple (Haggai 1:14-15). Zechariah 1:7 is specific to February 15, 519 BC and includes the Oracles of a hopeful future for God’s people. Let’s look a little more closely at those first six verses—A Call to Repentance. 

“God was rough on your ancestors,” Zechariah begins, “and they deserved it. But you have a chance to come back to God. Sovereign, eternal God promises He will restore you and deliver you.” And not to be stumped like we’re looking at abstract, modern art, we ask, “But how do I come back to you God?”

“Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices,” God replies in 1:4. Listen. Obey. Repent. That is what God asks. Not abstract. Not easy.

God tells us throughout the remainder of the Book of Zechariah just how he will deliver His people, Israel, in 519 BC and His people, all Christ followers of all ages, in His Sovereign plan. 

What do you need God to deliver you from?

Are you fully obeying everything He has already revealed to you?

What can you learn from Zechariah?

This post is the eleventh in our series, Major Stuff from the Minor Prophets. Feel free to comment or share this post using the tools below or subscribe to this site via email above right.

Post-Election Reminder: Be Prayerful

First of all: Pray.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 instructs us:

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pastor Shaun Jones has it right in this post on our church's Thanksvember page.

"Whether or not your favorite candidate won, God maintains sovereign control and calls his people to complete dependence upon Him."

Prioritizing God

Have you ever had one of those times where it seemed as if nothing was going your way?

You worked hard. You did it right. You gave your all. Yet you got little in return.

You satisfy a need. Answer the request. Fill the bill. Yet it doesn’t seem enough.

You do everything you can. Everything you should. Dot every “i” & cross every “t”. Yet something unexpected happens.

You earn a good living. You get paid well. You have plenty of stuff. You even have stuff for your stuff. Yet you never seem to have enough money to meet the month. 

If you have ever had any of the above happen to you, then welcome to the Club. The Club of Misplaced Focus. Our membership goes way back to 520 BC, the second year of King Darius of Persia as Haggai addresses. You can read of these exact challenges—under-compensated, unsatisfied, unprepared, unfulfilled—in Haggai 1:6.

So what’s the problem?

Why don’t I get the expected return for my effort?

Why can’t I seem satisfy my nagging need?

Why aren’t I ready for everything, try as I might?

Why doesn’t my income cover all my expenses?

Could my problem be the same as those of God’s people that Haggai prophesied to? Misplaced focus? Unprioritized God? The Nation of Judah had been carried off into exile in 586 BC. Was freed to return home by the Edict of Cyrus in 538 BC. And home they went. Restored their homes. Worked to get things back to normal. And got back to life without an oppressive, foreign overlord. Yet they forgot God. 

God asked about their misplaced focus citing that they were living “in paneled (translate, ‘nice’) houses, while this house remains in ruin?” (1:4). “This house” wasn’t just any house. It was His house—the Temple—His dwelling among His people, THE place where His people could worship Him. 

“Give careful thought to your ways,” God said in Haggai 1:5. Your ways. Your focus. Your priorities. They had taken care of themselves. Yet they neglected God. He alone was their Covenant Father, Redeemer, Provider, and the One, True God.

Priorities. It may not always be the case—but it certainly could be the case—that my circumstances of being under-compensated, unsatisfied, unprepared, and unfulfilled are as a result of God trying to get my attention in a language I understand. God speaks Human. He knows selfishness is our native language.  

Don’t misunderstand me.

It’s not wrong to expect a fair return for your labor.

It’s not wrong to desire satisfaction from any pursuit.

It is not wrong to want to be prepared for anything.

It is not wrong to make a good living to provide for your family and others. 

It is wrong to forget God in the process of living the very life He has given me. God speaks human. God will get my attention. Sometimes using ways that make me uncomfortable. 

Do not forget God. Honor Him. Worship Him. Thank Him. Serve Him. Prioritize Him.

Read or listen to all of Haggai here on YouVersion. It’s only 38 verses. And consider these questions:

• Where does my personal relationship with God rank in my current priorities?
• How can I place a sharper focus on my love relationship with God?
• What has to change in order for prioritizing God to really happen? What do I have to start or stop? 

This post based on Haggai is the tenth post from a series of twelve, Major Stuff from the Minor Prophets. Please share this post using the link below or subscribe to this site via email at the top right. You are welcome to leave your comments below as well. To hear the related sermon, subscribe via iTunes or visit here next Monday.

Storm Servers Prayers

Just received an email from my web host, Squarespace, informing me that their facility in Lower Manhattan has flooded & will go down any time. Not sure exactly what this means for my site, our church site, or the countless others hosted by Squarespace & other web hosts on the East Coast.

One thing I am sure of: We will continue to pray & support all those effected by this storm. We must pray & give today & in the weeks ahead. This one will cause damage of biblical proportions. This one reminds us that we are not as powerful as we think. This one reminds us of our need to prayerfully depend on the Creator & Sustainer.

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;

the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.

Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.

Your throne is established from of old;

you are from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,

the floods have lifted up their voice;

the floods lift up their roaring.

Mightier than the thunders of many waters,

mightier than the waves of the sea,

the Lord on high is mighty!

Your decrees are very trustworthy;

holiness befits your house,

O Lord, forevermore.

—Psalm 93—